It has now been a couple of days since the horrors of adults and children being gunned down in a school in the USA.

Rational people, not just in the USA, but around the world, have been begging and discussing the need to change the gun laws of that nation and I have been listening to arguments against change that to me and many others are feeble and backward looking.

Thanks to a world in which new news comes at us so quickly and in such volume, the loss of life in such situations is quickly forgotten by the world in general, leaving only those who suffered a loss of a close relative to remember the horror.

What I am not hearing is any other argument FOR changing the gun laws. I grow weary of ‘it’s part of our constitution – the right to bear arms…..’. That constitution was written at a time when the world was a lot more primitive. That constitution was written at a time when the majority of the populace had very little access to a good education. That constitution was written at a time when there was no alternative in the defence of a home. The gun, which KILLS, was the only way.

Nowadays science has provided us with weapons that do not kill. Taser guns and other ‘stunners’ for example. Why not change the law to allow such devices to be kept in a home or business but to make it illegal to keep/own weapons that KILL.

What about me? I am a member of a gun club. Fine, I say. By all means have a well controlled gun club with a person RESPONSIBLE for seeing that all weapons are secured at the end of each day.

Perhaps it is simple that politicians who claim to care, are only truly afraid of losing some votes and not brave enough to find out if the people of America are happy with their children, husbands, wives and friends being gunned down in cold blood.

9 comments to Newtown and the Gun Laws

The problem is we already have 300 million guns in circulation. The problem was the lack of discipline, allowing someone access to a gun that should not have had that access. I wish I knew a solution. One problem I see is young people growing up with violent video games, and violence and sex openly seen on television. Paul, using Dragon thank you, saves my wrists.

I came here after reading about your post on Jimmy Saville that was apparently a refreshing read, now sadly taken down.

Unfortunately I find that you are an advocate of gun control

I won’t bore you with any of the old arguments, I’ll just say this: The original purpose of the 2nd amendment which is now being called outdated, was for defence of the people from bug government.

Many a defenceless people in history have been left at the mercy of a murderous state. This may not seem the case in modern western society, but when the Department of Homeland security owns enough bullets to put five into every American citizen, maybe they still need to be wary.

The American government owns many weapons and isn’t afraid to use them daily against people they disapprove of. They cause more death and destruction than any group of citizens yet presume to tell people that they themselves cannot be trusted with weapons.

If the government cannot trust it’s people with guns, why should the people trust the government?

I for one applaud the American right to bear arms, for defence against tyrany, defence against rape, violence and murder and just for sport.

I hope the emotionalism of this latest tragedy will not see the people become disarmed.

It’s difficult to comprehend the USA being in control of and understanding what they have done to get to the present day situation. They have learned from Hitler how profit can be made from Wars and have made it an Art. Now with over 45% of the budget spent on weapons of Mass Destruction. They are determined to destroy any country showing a better example than them. Like a child breaking another child’s toy in anger.Violence is Natural for Americans, they have been bred to believe that it’s OK to use deadly force for anything they choose.Typical of a collapsing Empire.

You’re not American Paul, so with respect it’s not really your business to comment on changing the US Constitution. There should definitely a curb on Semi-automatic Rifles, and a limitation on some firearms which are frankly extreme and horrendous. However the concerns of The Framers of the US nation – founded in Revolution – were that no government or despotic tyrant could again intimidate the people of the USA, and that every man had the power to overthrow it if such a thing arose again. I’m a Brit living in America, but having studied US government and politics at University I begin to understand why they Americans are reluctant to see their Constitution rewritten. The sad fact is that the bad guys are already armed, the good guys need to arm themselves. Hence key teachers will now be armed in some States, and security measures will be assessed and improved. Sad to see that the usual US haters have used your board to push their agenda’s. This is way beyond people’s grievances with the US. This is about a man who was already noted for being crazy, committing an atrocious act. We should look in our own backyard eg. Dunblane and Hungerford before we criticize the Americans,

I think a great many people actually agreed with your comments. It does all sound pretty far-fetched. A lot of the victims look like former groupies who are now in their 50’s looking for a windfall. Even Savile’s chief accuser allegedly can’t remember if she was 14 or 16 apparently.

I think the comments of Bill Oddie and Rick Parfitt were just the tip of the iceberg about what went on back then.

It’s sad that you were crucified by the press this week, seems to me that even if anyone sheds any doubt on the claims, they are immediately attacked and lumped in with the accused. Is there some agenda behind all this which drives it all forward and keeps it going that way? Yet another aspect of the police state that Britain has become.

So now we all suddenly apply some faux-Victorian mores, and the law seems happy about having people make wild accusations on the internet, which people like Schofield then exploit.

If these accusations are to be believed they may as well round up every performer who ever went on Top of the Pops, and anyone who ever had a kid’s show on the BBC.

We’ll soon have a Britain where no sane man will want to work with children. Performers, Teachers, Medics… The place gets worse by the day.

indeed. The laws should be changed, but the proliferation is still a problem. Mental health institutions were badly let go and defunded about 20 years ago making it possible for this maniac to get his hands on a gun even though it was registered to his mum. Saying guns don’t kill; people do is a cowardly way for not taking responsibility for what happened. The strongest gun on Earth at the time of the US Constitution was a flintlock rifle that fire one shot every time a musket ball was loaded, rammed home, “powdered” and each shot took about 5 minutes. I wonder if politicians kids were murdered if they’d feel differently.